The Best Birthday Present Ever!
by Beloved
Summary: Repost - Cordelia has a birthday that she’s guaranteed never to forget, with the reappearance of a very important man in her life
1. Default Chapter

Title: The Best Birthday Present Ever!  
  
Author: Beloved  
  
Feedback: belovedplank@hotmail.com  
  
Fandom: Angel  
  
Pairing: Cordelia/Doyle  
  
Rating: PG (just because)  
  
Disclaimer: None of it's mine (apart from the small thing vaguely resembling a plot) and never will be   
  
*Stares dreamily off into the distance at the thought of having her own tiny little Irish man*   
  
Summary: The title basically says it all  
  
Cordelia has a birthday that she's *guaranteed* never to forget, with the reappearance of a very important man in her life 


	2. Powers

Two of the Powers looked over at Doyle, one of the newest entrants to Heaven. What a sorry sight he was.  
  
He was sitting in the same spot that he had sat at since his arrival, looking down at the two people that he cared about most in the world, - Angel and Cordelia, their colleague, Wesley, and the newest addition, Gunn.  
  
He had a bottle of whisky in his hand, which he had specifically asked for. Alcohol was not an entity usually found in Heaven - it was not needed, but as Doyle had continually asked for it, it was eventually given to him, although he was warned that he would have to contend with the consequences.  
  
He replied that he did not care - he had never had a hangover any worse than the migraines that had occupied his visions, so he knew that he'd live (metaphorically speaking).  
  
Basically, he was miserable.  
  
He was in Heaven, after he had performed the heroic deed of giving his life to save a boat full of half demons, and he was completely miserable.  
  
One of the Powers took another look at Doyle before throwing up his hands in exasperation.  
  
"That's it!" he cried, and walked over to Doyle, the other Power not two steps behind.  
  
"Doyle, we can see how - abnormally miserable you are for someone in Heaven, and so we have decided to offer you back your place on Earth."  
  
For a moment, Doyle's eyes lit up at the thought, but the light faded as he asked, his voice still containing the Irish lilt, "Will I get me mind-numbing visions back?"  
  
The Power looked a little puzzled at the question, but replied in the negative.  
  
"No. Your atonement was fulfilled by your heroic death."  
  
"Then will my 'Delia still have me visions?  
  
"Well, yes. As a warrior, Angel still needs the visions to help him to fulfil his atonement."  
  
"Well then, thanks, but no thanks. It's hard enough being up here, looking down on her, having ta watch her going through pain - which I caused. But being down there, actually being able ta touch her, and yet still be helpless, that, that'd be unbearable. Anyways, like I've said before, why did 'Delia get me visions in first place? She has nothing ta atone for! So why does *she* have ta go through all that pain!?!!"  
  
He glared at them for a minute before just sinking back down to his seat - looking down at his friends.  
  
All the Powers could do was watch as, right before their eyes, Doyle went from being depressed, to being angry, before returning to depressed again. 


	3. Vessel

"We need to find another vessel before he will return happily," the Power told his female partner, (the male of course, because he just *has* to state the obvious,) as they walked out of earshot of Doyle.  
  
"It'll have to be someone who actually has something to atone for - or who at least feels they do," she said as she looked down at the group of people standing in the lobby of the hotel that was now Angel Investigations.   
  
Her eyes rested on Gunn, and she got a flash of inspiration.   
  
"I think I've just found him," she replied, not taking her eyes of Gunn.  
  
The male Power smiled at her in realisation. "But when?" he asked her.  
  
That question was put on hold when they heard a sound.   
  
They looked down to see what had caused it, and saw Cordelia and Gunn arguing....  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Did to!"  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Did to!"  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Did to!"  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Did to!!"  
  
At this point Wesley, who had been looking on with amusement for several minutes, finally intervened.  
  
"Cordelia! The way you two are acting at the moment makes it hard to believe that you are 20 tomorrow."  
  
....."Her birthday," Doyle whispered, both his face and his voice full of despair, and he seemed to sink even deeper into the cloud, drowning in memories of Cordelia's last birthday, the first - and only birthday that he had spent with her.  
  
"Well, that should answer your question," the female Power told the male beside her, (referring to Cordelia's birthday).   
  
At that, the Powers watched as Cordelia glared at Wesley before resuming her argument with Gunn.  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Did to!"  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Did to!!", and with that, Cordelia gave Gunn a light slap to the head, signifying that the argument was now over.  
  
That slap was all it took, and, with a click of her fingers, the female Power transferred the power of the visions from Cordelia to Gunn.  
  
At that, the two Powers smiled at each other before walking over to Doyle to tell him the good news. 


	4. Video

Angel silently made his way down the stairs, and looked through the glass into the office, where he saw Cordelia.  
  
She was curled up in the easy chair, wrapped in Doyle's well-worn, brown leather jacket - the only thing that had survived the Beacon.   
  
Angel sighed when he realised what she was doing.  
  
She was watching the video.   
  
Again.   
  
The Doyle video, of which he knew she had both the original and a copy of at home, a copy in the office, and a copy in Angel's room - OK, that was his, but she had had it copied for him.  
  
As soon as he realised what she was watching he knew that she would be crying, and so stood by the door in the lobby to wait for Wesley - being careful to stay away from any sunlight that had pierced through the curtains.  
  
As soon as the door opened, and Wesley appeared, Angel grabbed him, silenced him with a look, moved him out of the sunlight, and stuffed some money into his hand.   
  
Then, while propelling him back towards the door, he whispered, "Go to the bakery down the block and pick up Cordy's cake. It's ordered under Angel Investigations."  
  
Wesley looked over in the office and saw Cordelia watching a video and mouthed, "Doyle?"  
  
Angel just nodded in reply.   
  
At that, Wesley slipped out - making sure to be careful that he did not open the door too much, so that Angel would not go on fire. 


	5. Cake

When Gunn arrived Angel and Wesley were in the lobby, taking the cake out of the box and putting some candles on it, (2, one for each decade, as 20 would not fit on it).   
  
So they all started to make a little noise, you know, the - 'Let's try to be quiet so that the surprise is a surprise' deal, but actually being quite loud, so that Cordelia knew that they were there, and would have the chance to hide the video, and tidy herself up.  
  
After a minute or so, Angel thought that she'd had enough time, so he lit the candles and, with the other two behind him, led the way into the office.   
  
Cordelia plastered a smile on her face as they entered, but it quickly became a sincere smile when she realised what they had done for her.   
  
The guys circled her, Angel holding the cake and, as Angel placed it in front of her, they started to sing Happy Birthday to her.  
  
You could distinguish all of their voices as they sang, which made her smile widen.   
  
She heard Angel's low, tuneless voice, and she grinned at him, as she knew how much effort it took for Angel to sing in front of anyone - although he had good reason to, as he was completely tone deaf.   
  
She could also hear Wesley's high, almost squeaky, British accented warbling, and she had to force down a giggle.   
  
However, Gunn, whose baritone noted singing was actually quite tuneful, surprised her.  
  
The song was drawing to a close when, above the other three male voices, a melodious Irish lilt added itself.   
  
The other voices faded, so that they could try to distinguish this new voice.   
  
Both Cordelia and Angel's eyes widened when they recognised the voice, and they all faded into silence when the owner of the voice walked in, singing, "Happy Birthday my 'Delia, Happy Birthday to you!" and kissed Cordelia on the forehead before saying, " Happy Birthday Princess." 


	6. Surprise!

They all just gaped at the sight of Doyle, who had walked over to the window and was leaning against it, smiling at Cordelia.  
  
Wesley and Gunn were not certain whom he was, but saw the looks on Angel and Cordelia's faces, and so kind of guessed.  
  
Cordelia was the one who spoke first. "D-D-Doyle?" she whispered.  
  
Doyle opened his mouth to reply, but before he could Cordelia put her head in her hands.   
  
"Oh my God! I've finally lost it! I've gotta stop watching that video! Doyle's dead! He's dead and he's gone and I'm never gonna see him again!" she whispered, beginning to sob quietly, forgetting that they could all hear her.  
  
The guys all watched, amazed, as Doyle quickly made his way over to her and took her in his arms.   
  
"Shh Princess. It's alright, you're not insane. I'm really here Princess. I'm back."  
  
At that, Cordelia looked up, and into his beautiful blue/green eyes, which were shining with love.   
  
The look on his face made her sure that it was him, and she flung her arms around his neck and cried, "Doyle!! It's you! It's really you! You're back!!" and buried her face in his shoulder just before bursting into tears.  
  
The others just watched, still gaping, as Doyle gladly returned her embrace, and whispered soothingly into her ear until she had stopped crying. 


	7. Visions

Once she had calmed down, Doyle slowly tried to leave her embrace, but she immediately tightened her grip, saying, "No way Doyle! I'm not letting you out of my arms again! Last time I did that, you jumped onto that Beacon and died!"   
  
This thought caused her to start crying again.  
  
"Aw, come on Princess, stop crying. Please? I only wanna go say hi ta Angel, and ye new mates," Doyle said to her, rubbing her back soothingly.  
  
At that, Cordelia slowly let him go - but only after Doyle gave her another smile, in a way that only Doyle can.  
  
As Doyle started towards him, Angel forced himself to stop gaping and to close his mouth.  
  
Doyle just walked up to him and warmly embraced him - an embrace, which surprised everyone in the fact that Angel, returned it just as warmly.  
  
As Angel released him, Doyle said "I missed ye man! How's the brooding going?"  
  
Angel smiled at him, remembering that Doyle had always been one of the very few people who could make him smile.   
  
"Brooding's fine. I'm fine."  
  
He did not reply that he had missed him as well, but he knew that Doyle would know that.  
  
He was about to ask him how and why he was here, when he walked over to Gunn and Wesley.   
  
"Hi. I'm Doyle. And you must be Wesley and Gunn." he said, shaking Wesley's hand first.   
  
When he went to shake Gunn's hand, the handshake was considerably heartier.   
  
"Good luck Gunn," he told him. "Good luck."  
  
"With what?" Gunn replied, perplexed.  
  
"Oh yeah, you don't know yet do you? Well, I wouldn't let the PTB send me down while my 'Delia was still in pain by having me visions - and I pointed out ta them that as she has nothing ta atone for, she shouldna have ta go through the pain. So congratulations! You are now the new owner of the head splitting visions!" Doyle told him, giving him a pat on the back.   
  
Gunn went pale.   
  
He just looked at Doyle in shock, and stammered, "Bu-but, but how? Cordy said that you had to ki- No, no, no, *no!* You are *not* kissing me! I don't ev-"   
  
Doyle cut him off. "I'm not gonna kiss you Gunn. I don't have ta. 'Delia was the one who gave you the visions, 'coz she became the vessel when I died."  
  
"What! But *I* never kissed *him*!! Not ev-"  
  
Doyle cut off what he knew was the beginning of one of Cordelia's famous rants and said, "I know you didn't Princess. The PTB watched until you touched him. Don't you remember? Yesterday you and Gunn were arguing and you finished the argument by slapping him on the head. Actually, not unlike you used ta end arguments with me. That touch passed the powers on. They said summat about wanting ta tie Gunn ta Angel," he added. 


	8. Confession

They all just looked at him for a minute, and so Doyle just walked back into Cornelia's embrace and said, "Let's just get down ta basics. I'm back, I'm completely human - as in no demon in me at all, I've been watching ya since I died, so I know who you are-" gesturing to Gunn and Wesley,   
  
"And, although I'm no longer half-demon or vision guy, the PTB gave me some added strength, so I could still be of use to you..... That is, if I'm even needed here," he finished, a little nervous when he realised that they might not need him - or even want him back.  
  
"Of course you are! Even if you're no longer vision guy, extra strength is always needed. Anyway, you don't think that I'm letting you out of my sight now that I've finally got you back do you?" Cordelia said, then looked at Angel for confirmation.  
  
"Yes Doyle, welcome back," Angel said, with a look on his face as close to a grin as Angel would ever get.  
  
Doyle sighed with relief and grinned back, relaxing into Cordelia's embrace.   
  
Doyle suddenly tilted his head to one side, a thoughtful expression on his face when he realised that he was sitting with his arms around Cordelia, and she with her arms around him, and she wasn't complaining.   
  
In fact, she seemed perfectly comfortable in his arms.  
  
He looked at her, very perplexed about this, - although also not complaining, as he was very happy.  
  
Cordelia felt his gaze, and looked at him, and saw the perplexed look on his face, and blushed a little when she realised why.   
  
Then she took a deep breath.  
  
The only reason that she had not kissed him as soon as she realised that he was real, was because she did not want him to think that she only did it to try to give him the visions back.  
  
As this was no longer a problem, because neither of them had the visions, there was no stopping her.  
  
But she decided to let him stew for a little first.   
  
She pulled out of the embrace slightly, pleased when Doyle made a slight sound of protest.   
  
She looked him in the eyes for a moment, and then put her angry look on, which alone made Doyle look wary.  
  
Then she gave him a whack to the head (not *really* hard, but still a whack to the head), and, after he winced and cried out in surprise (and probably a *little* pain) she said, "That's for jumping on the Beacon and dying!"   
  
Another whack.  
  
"That's for leaving me to contend with *him* all on my own - especially since he was even broodier than usual!"  
  
(When she said 'him', she stabbed a finger at Angel.)  
  
Another whack, quite a hard one this time.   
  
"That's for not even *insinuating* that you loved me until you were about to die!!"  
  
Another whack.   
  
"That's for not even finishing asking me *out* to dinner, never mind taking me!"  
  
Final whack.   
  
"And *that* is for sitting here in my arms and not even *thinking* of asking me out to dinner again!"   
  
However, this one was said with a smile, and he smiled back, albeit a little nervously, and nodded.  
  
"OK then. Princess, would you do me the honour of going ta dinner with me?"  
  
She beamed at him, glad that she finally was able to hear him say it, and replied by giving him a bone-melting kiss.  
  
When she released him, he half-collapsed against the back of the chair and took a few rather shaky breaths before saying,   
  
"Is that a yes then?"  
  
She laughed and tapped him lightly on the arm, "Of course it is you annoying little Irish man!"  
  
He glanced around the room, mock-offended, and said, "Hey! I may be Irish, and I may be somewhat lacking in height, but me? Annoying? Never!"  
  
Everyone laughed, and Doyle revelled in the sound of Angel and Cordelia laughing again.  
  
It was a sound he had seldom heard during his death. 


	9. Present

After everyone had calmed down, Cordelia realised something.   
  
She had three presents in front of her, one from Angel, one from Wesley, and one from Gunn, as well as the cake, but Doyle had not even mentioned having anything for her.  
  
When she realised what she was thinking, she mentally chastised herself, 'Cordelia Angela Chase! He's just came back from the *dead*, of *course* he wouldn't have a present for you!'  
  
However, Doyle saw her looking at her other presents and guessed what she was thinking, and decided to put her out of her misery.   
  
He smiled at her and said, " 'Delia honey, I have summat for you."  
  
Cordelia looked at him, surprised, and her face lit up when she realised what he meant.   
  
"It's not much, but the PTB where nice enough to give me summat back that I'd bought ya *before* I died," he said as he stood up to get it from the back pocket of his jeans, and placed it into the palm of her hand.  
  
She looked at it, and her smile widened.   
  
It was a beautiful silver heart-shaped locket, with a shamrock engraved on it, she turned it over, and put a hand to her mouth in an attempt to stop herself from crying, because, engraved onto the back, were the words 'Princess. All my love, Doyle'.   
  
When she opened it, she could not stop the tears from flowing.   
  
There were two pictures inside. One of her - Doyle's favourite, and one of Doyle.   
  
Doyle crouched in front of her and gently wiped the tears away. "You can change the pictures if you want ta." he whispered.  
  
"No. Thank you Doyle. I love it. *All* of it," she whispered back.   
  
Then she thought of something. "When had you been planning on giving this to me?"  
  
Doyle blushed before replying quietly, "I don't know. I'd just had a win, and I was on me way home when I saw it in a window, and I just had ta get it for ya, and I just hoped that I'd have the right ta give it ta ya one day. I know I don't have the right now b-"   
  
Cordelia cut him off.   
  
"But you do have the right Doyle," she told him.  
  
"What?" he replied, more than a little puzzled.  
  
She took a deep breath, and glanced at Angel, who nodded, and said, "You can tell him to his face now. He's back."  
  
"What? Tell me what ta me face?" Doyle said, looking back and forth between Angel and Cordelia, as if he was watching a tennis match.  
  
Cordelia took another deep breath before saying, "While you were...gone, I did some thinking about my life, and what it would be like without you in it. I know, how self-centred can I get, but hear me out. I realised that, had I let it, there could have been more to our relationship than just friendship. That's why you have the right to give me the locket. Because I realised - although I'd thought it was too late, that I love you too."  
  
Doyle gaped in amazement, and just sat there open-mouthed for a minute, before saying, "I think I'm going a little deaf during me death and resurrection, so could ya repeat that for me please?"  
  
Cordelia sighed, but decided to humour him. She took both of his hands in hers, and said, "I, Cordelia Angela Chase, have fallen in love with you, Allen Francis Doyle."  
  
At that, Doyle's legs gave way beneath him, and he flopped onto the floor, glad that he had been crouching, and not standing.   
  
From this new stance, he whispered, "That's what I thought you said."  
  
They just gazed into each others eyes for a moment, forgetting that there was anyone else in the room until they absorbed the sounds of applause.  
  
"Congratulations guys! I'm glad you finally got it together," Angel said to them.  
  
"Yeah. Maybe *you* will be able to succeed were we couldn't - keeping Cordy outta trouble," Gunn added.  
  
Doyle grinned at him in reply. "No chance."  
  
"Yes. Congratulations. I wish you all the best. Both of you," Wesley said quietly, nodding.  
  
Doyle was sitting there on the floor in front of Cordelia, when he remembered something, and he stood up suddenly, rooting through his pockets.   
  
"Oh! I forgot! The PTB gave me summat else back."  
  
The others looked at him, intrigued.   
  
"What?" Cordelia asked.  
  
"I'll show ya in a minute, when I remember where it is. Where in the blue blazes is me brown leather?" Doyle said, as he stopped looking through his pockets and started looking round the room.  
  
Cordelia blushed slightly, remembering what she had been doing earlier that morning, and pulled the jacket out from under the chair.   
  
"It's here, but it won't be in there, because I've had it ever since you -"   
  
Doyle cut her off by taking it off her and pulling a dark velvety jewellery box out of the inside pocket.  
  
"-died," Cordelia finished, staring at the box.  
  
"That wasn't there before!" she cried.  
  
"I know. When the PTB said that they'd send me back, I asked them for the locket, and this. So they gave me the locket, but put this back were I'd last had it - in me coat," Doyle explained.  
  
"Oh. Well then, what is it?" Cordelia asked.   
  
Angel looked at him questioningly, "It's not?..."  
  
Doyle nodded at him. "Yeah, 'tis."  
  
"What? What is it? And why does Angel know what it is and I don't?" Cordelia asked.   
  
Even Wesley and Gunn looked curious.  
  
"Angel knows what 'tis 'coz I remembered it when Harry came ta see me, and I showed him it. It's a family heirloom, and it's bin in the family - me mother's side, for generations," Doyle explained, then he opened the box, and gave it to Cordelia.  
  
She gasped as she took the gold claddagh ring out of the box, and turned it so that the light glinted off it's smooth, shiny golden surface, and created facets of red light when the light split through the garnet heart in the centre.   
  
"Ya know what ya do with a claddagh ring don't ya 'Delia?" he asked nervously.  
  
"Of course I do. When you wear the heart pointing away from you, it means you're single and when you wear it pointing towards you, it means that you belong to someone," Cordelia whispered in reply.   
  
She waited for a minute, and when Doyle did not do anything, she handed him the ring, and said, "Well then, are you gonna put it on me or not?"  
  
He looked into her eyes, and she smiled. He smiled back, and put it on her engagement finger, the heart pointing toward her.  
  
They smiled at each other, eyes shining with love, as if they were the only two people in the world.  
  
"I love ye 'Delia."  
  
"I love you too Doyle."  
  
Then they kissed. Another bone-melter. But this time, it was a kiss that both of them knew was full of love, from both parties.  
  
As they came out of the kiss slowly, Doyle smiled at Cordelia, a typical Irish smile in the way that only Doyle can, and said, "Happy Birthday Princess."  
  
Cordelia smiled back, and, tightening her grip around him, she glanced around the room before saying, "Doyle, having you back is the best birthday present ever!" 


End file.
